Wild-goose chase

A wild-goose chase is a figurative expression for an unproductive, pointless or hopeless quest. Its origin dates back to the late 1500s when it described a follow-the-leader cross-country horse ride, where the riders fanned out behind the leader just like a flock of wild geese in flight formation. Perhaps because riders had to follow the leader in this way, it was not a real race and therefore seemed quite pointless. Note also that the expression is a wild-goose chase and not a wild goose-chase. Shakespeare did not coin the expression but he is credited with its first figurative usage in Romeo and Juliet (c. 1595) Act II, Scene IV, when Mercutio says, “Nay, if thy wits run the wild-goose chase, I have done.”